# Disgruntle **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 20, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797 "2005-05-20T20:50:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Riley381](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Riley381](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riley381)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/1 "2005-05-20T20:50:19Z")
According to [m-W.com](http://m-W.com) gruntle is “to put in a good humor.” The etymology is the back formation is disgruntle. Does anyone know why this could be? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/2 "2005-05-20T22:05:57Z")
Hi Riley381. When commenting on Cecil’s columns it is considered courtesy to link to that column. [Disgruntled](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264a.html) Cecil says: > [@](#): > > Dis- isn’t always used to negate; sometimes it’s an intensifier. What other words have it as an intensifier? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/3 "2005-05-21T01:39:03Z")
Some Googling gives “dissever” and “disembowel” as other examples of intensifier usage. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/4 "2005-05-21T01:42:18Z")
How about distress? It certainly isn’t the _lack_ of stress. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/5 "2005-05-21T06:55:24Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > How about distress? It certainly isn’t the _lack_ of stress. no, [distress](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=distress) would be the lack of [tress](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=tress), but that doesn’t exactly work. My personal favorite is [flammable](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=flammable) and [inflammable](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=inflammable), which for some reason mean the same thing. Bo ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/6 "2005-05-21T06:57:57Z")
I have also wondered why we have carpenters, but we never talk about anyone carpenting. Never once in my life have I been told to go carpent some stairs or a bookcase, etc. What’s up with that? Bo ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/7 "2005-05-21T12:27:33Z")
> [@Riley381](#): > > According to [m-W.com](http://m-W.com) gruntle is “to put in a good humor.” The etymology is the back formation is disgruntle. Does anyone know why this could be? That’s what “back-formation” means. Enough people have Iin this case, incorrectly) used “gruntle” to mean “the opposite of disgruntle” that it now counts as a meaning in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/8 "2005-05-21T12:30:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder Bo](#): > > My personal favorite is [flammable](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=flammable) and [inflammable](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=inflammable), which for some reason mean the same thing. “Inflammable” is the correct word; it means something that can be “inflamed” (or “enflamed”). But both the word and the “i” spelling of “en-” have fallen out of general use, and people started misunderstanding it – in this case, often with fatal results. So “flammable” was invented as a safer substitute. ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/9 "2005-05-22T11:41:29Z")
We have [persuade](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=persuade) as the opposite of [dissuade](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dissuade) , so why not [pergruntle](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pergruntle) as the opposite of [disgruntle](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=disgruntle) ??? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tierce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/10 "2005-05-24T00:42:06Z")
I’ve used “gruntled” before in conversation. I’ve also found my cats to be extremely chalant when I come home after a long trip… ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/11 "2005-05-24T07:03:59Z")
Interesting sequitur, **Tierce**. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/12 "2005-05-24T11:30:12Z")
I spect that. [sub]Obviously, “respect” is to spect again.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/13 "2005-05-24T16:30:14Z")
Wow! You guys must really like this column. This is the first time I’ve seen a column twice on the Straight Dope home page. Couldn’t you let the first one roll off the bottom before reusing it? I would love to know what Cecil’s personal favorite is. But I kinda doubt that this is it. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/14 "2005-05-25T02:53:56Z")
I thought that the opposite of disgruntle was datgruntle. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/15 "2005-05-25T03:06:19Z")
Is the opposite of opposite apposite here? ---
**Author:** ![Xiphos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/48db29/32.png) [@Xiphos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xiphos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/16 "2005-05-27T13:11:19Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Is the opposite of opposite apposite here? Only if I can mention that the antinym of synonym is antinym ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/17 "2005-05-27T15:41:53Z")
How can there be a thread about “gruntle” with no mention of the Rip Off Press, publishers of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers? “Millions of gruntled customers” ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntle/304797/18 "2005-05-27T18:24:50Z")
> [@Perderabo](#): > > Couldn’t you let the first one roll off the bottom before reusing it? That can probably be feased.